Going in the “Write” Direction Amy Curry, MS, CCLS – Texas Children’s Hospital

1. Going in the “Write” Direction Amy Curry, MS, CCLS – Texas Children’s Hospital Lindsay Heering, CCLS, CTRS – Children’s Hospital of Michigan Jennifer Fieten, MA, CCLS Evidence Based Practice Committee – Child Life Council 27th Annual Conference on Professional Issues Boston, Massachusetts What are PICO questions? PICO Question Worksheet A method for creating a clearly defined, searchable, answerable question to help effectively search for evidence. PICO is an acronym that comes from the components of the question: P: Patient characteristics/Population of interest I : Intervention of interest C: Comparison intervention of interest O: Outcome of interest Applying PICO Questions to Child Life 1. Develop your PICO question: A PICO question will help you determine your search strategy. PICO questions lead you to precise and high quality evidence. They are vital to implementing evidence-based decisions. In (population of interest) Is (intervention of interest) Better than (comparison of interest) At (outcome of interest)? How do PICO questions fit within evidence-based practice? There are five steps in evidence-based practice: 1. Ask the question 2. Search the evidence 3. Analyze the evidence 4. Apply the evidence to practice 5. Evaluate the evidence The PICO method assists the professional in creating a well-defined question to effectively search the evidence to answer the practice question. 2. Identify the type(s) of study to include in your search: (check all that apply) ✓Systematic review ✓Cross-sectional study ✓Meta-analysis ✓Review of qualitative studies ✓Quantitative study✓Randomized control trials ✓Qualitative study✓Controlled trial without randomization ✓Case control ✓Expert opinions ✓Cohort ✓Textbooks, non-EBP guidelines 3. List alternative search terms for the various parts of your PICO question: How can PICO questions fit within research projects and setting? Evidence-based practice relies on research for evidence, and evidence-based practice can point to gaps in the research that need investigation. When developing the literaturesearch for the research project, the PICO method can be used to locate an increased number or better quality of results. Accessing Evidence: Utilize Your Resources 4. Define limits for your search: • Use your medical library: • A medical librarian can save you time by searching multiple sources for information • Request your medical librarian to in-service your department • 2. Use the Internet: many databases are available online 5. List the databases you intend to search: Searching the evidence using a PICO question References Cochrane Reviewer’s Handbook (2003). Section 4: Formulating the problem. Found at http://www.cochrane.dk/cochrane/handbook/hbook.htm. Accessed February 8, 2009. Counsell, C. (1997). Formulating questions and locating primary studies for inclusion in systematic reviews. Annals of Internal Medicine, 127, 380-387. Melnyk, B. & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2005) Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Miller, S. (2001). PICO Worksheet and Search Strategy, National Center for Dental Hygiene Research. Stone, P. (2002). Popping the (PICO) question in research and evidence-based practice. Applied NursingResearch, 16, 197-198. Stratus, S. & Sackett, D. (1998) Getting research findings into practice: Using research findings in clinical practice. British Medical Journal, 317, 339-342. 1. Determine the search terms from the PICO question 2. Identify alternatives/synonymsfor search terms 3. Select the databases that will contain the information that you want to find 4. Enter search terms and alternative search terms in databases to find relevant materials